The incidence of hearing loss in the United States was 266 per thousand households in 1989, 283 per thousand in 2004, and 295 per thousand in 2008. In 2008, 43.25 million reported hearing difficulty. Between 2004 and 2008, the hearing impaired population grew 8.8% compared to a 4.5% increase in US households. Furthermore, the percent of the population that acknowledged a hearing loss grew from 10% in 1989 to 11.3% in 2008.
People with hearing loss rarely acknowledge the disorder. From the time hearing loss is first noticed, the average hearing impaired person delays seven years before seeking assistance. Reasons given by some are they may not believe that they can afford a hearing aid, so they don't inquire about a hearing analysis. Others fear ridicule and taunting by family and friends if they use a hearing aid. And yet for others, acknowledging hearing loss means they have to acknowledge that they are aging and that their bodies are simply not able to do things they once took for granted.
Technology used in hearing aids is improving rapidly in a manner parallel to other chip-based consumer goods. Newest technologies remain relatively expensive, but slightly older technologies are more affordable. Furthermore, continuous improvement has been made in designs to make hearing aids less cumbersome and noticeable in the ear along with better ability to eliminate background or undesirable noise. So many more people would benefit from hearing assistance than those currently seeking such care.
Moreover, many people might typically seek advice from a physician or other healthcare provider to provide at least some guidance on the matter, but most are not prepared to provide such guidance. Current tools for performing hearing tests available to the healthcare professionals at large remain expensive and labor intensive relative to reimbursement for such tests. Furthermore, if under such conditions a hearing disorder is identified, the patients are often not referred in an expeditious and efficient manner for diagnosis and/or treatment.
Thus, what is needed is a way to provide a hearing assessment by a wide range of healthcare providers who have not traditionally participated in hearing analysis, e.g. primary care physicians, pediatricians, neurologists, naturopath doctors, chiropractic doctors and the like, referred to herein as a general “healthcare provider” as distinguished from hearing health specialists described hereinbelow. There is a need, therefore, for a system, method and computer-readable medium that provides a simple, cost effective hearing assessment to be administered by the general healthcare provider. There is a further need to provide a simplified means for referral by the healthcare providers to a hearing health specialist (e.g. audiologists and otolaryngologists).